Cessna 172N N738NC

Summary

On 31 March 1997 at about 15:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N738NC was involved in an accident near St Matthews, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 March 1997 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St Matthews, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Do-Little Field [Pvt] (SC90)

Coordinates

33.6595, -80.7697

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N738NC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97LA105

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper decision to take off downwind with gusty wind conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor (CFI) was instructing a non-current pilot in soft field takeoff procedures. According to the CFI, they took off from runway 14, the downwind runway, because runway 32 was upslope, and the trees adjacent to the runway gave protection from the wind. As the airplane climbed above trees located on both sides of the runway, the CFI said he encountered wind shear and could not fly out of it. He said the airplane went into a left bank and descended. He elected to land straight ahead in a field. During the landing in soft sand the airplane nosed over. The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 300 degrees at 20 knots, with gusts to 27 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.